Beach Boys – Pet Sounds [1966]

That’s the kind of sons-in-law every parent wants for their daughter, right? Well-mannered boys, responsible and reliable. With a good job, and not too macho nor rebellious. Someone who fits in well with the family and who can get your daughter pregnant, if so desired.
But it resulted in a record cover that has received a lot of criticism. Ordinary boys on a record cover, surely not? They should feature tough rock stars with muscular bodies and long hair. Or, like the previous Beach Boys covers: handsome boys on the beach with a sporty appearance and a surfboard under their arms. The kind of guys that all the girls on their towels are eyeing adoringly.
But the Beach Boys’ musical brain, Brian Wilson, wanted to get rid of this surf image. He wanted music in the style of producer Phil Spector, with his wall of sound: large numbers of musicians playing orchestrated pieces resulting in a wall of sound. The prime example of the real Phil Spector: ‘River Deep, Mountain High’ by Ike & Tine Turner.
On Pet Sounds, this new Beach Boys sound is clearly audible. No more innocent teenage hits, but complex pop symphonies, characterized by innovative recording techniques. Progressive rock bands in the seventies such as Yes and Genesis were only too happy to be inspired by Pet Sounds.
(There is even a story about Brian Wilson's admiration for Phil Spector: the initials of Pet Sounds, PS, would refer to Phil Spector)
Brian Wilson passed away this month on June 11 at the age of 82. He never even came close to being the ideal son-in-law. Although his harmonies, song-writing and recording techniques would change pop music forever, he was a difficult man; for others, but especially for himself.
When the Beach Boys broke through worldwide with their surf music in the early sixties, Wilson's psychological foundation began to shake. He couldn’t cope with the pressure of the music industry and the many tours. More and more he heard voices in his head and suffered seriously from psychoses.
Drug abuse and a lack of proper care caused him to withdraw from public life and he would lock himself up in his own house like a hermit. In the eighties and nineties, Wilson, partly thanks to therapeutic guidance, opened himself up to music and performances again. He made the beautiful solo LP 'Smile', as a symbol of his victory over the demons and fears in his head.
But Pet Sounds remained unparalleled and is widely praised as 'one of the best albums of all time'.
To be honest, this all passed me by a bit. I had never seen such a boring cover. And I was only jealous of the guys from the Beach Boys, the way they looked on previous covers. I hated their cheerful surf music. I was a nerd. I was more interested in technology than in picking up girls. I felt lanky on the beach with my pimples, long hair and fringe that reached my eyes. But I was also especially afraid that my genitals were much too small and that this would be noticeable in my swimming trunks.
So I was booing the Beach Boys when they came up with this cover of their visit to the petting zoo.
But now the cover is a classic. The font ‘Cooper Black’ is powerful and is still used for many advertising purposes. Musicians such as David Bowie and Frank Zappa and more recently The Black Keys also adopted this font for their covers.
The photo shoot took place on February 10, 1966 in the children's section of the San Diego Zoo. The management was not exactly enthusiastic, because the band members and photographer George Jerman and his crew climbed over the fences and ‘abused’ the animals to get to this photo shoot.
The band in the photo is not complete. Bruce Johnston is missing. The Beach Boys newcomer was already present at the studio recordings, but for contractual reasons he was not allowed to be seen as a member of the Beach Boys. He was still officially under contract with a competing record company. Johnston later joked that he was glad he didn't have to be photographed wearing a dirty old brown tweed jacket. He thinks it's the worst record cover of all time.
But as an ode to the deceased Brian Wilson, I've taken this cover out of my record collection. I'll put my prejudices about the Beach Boys aside and listen to the record again, because as fans of progressive rock we owe a lot to Brian Wilson.

Gerrit-Jan Vrielink

Translator: Alex Driessen